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Princess Beatrice's wedding hat for sale on EBay; minimum bid more than $8,200

May 12, 2011 | 4:45
pm

Princess Beatrice's royal wedding hat is officially going once, going twice on EBay. The terrible topper she wore to her cousin Prince William's wedding to Kate Middleton landed on the auction block Thursday.

The starting bid: 5,000 British pounds -- that's about $8,229, with only one bidder so far in the 10-day auction. We'll try not to pass too much judgment on this person's fashion sense (or common sense) since the sale is benefiting a good cause.

"I'm amazed by the amount of attention the hat has attracted," the princess said in a statement. "It's a wonderful opportunity to raise as much money as possible for two fantastic charities. I hope whoever wins the auction has as much fun with the hat as I have."

The proceeds on the world-famous, custom-made Philip Treacy hat, which has its very own Facebook page, will go to UNICEF and the British charity Children in Crisis, Buckingham Palace said.

"I've been surprised by the overwhelming response to 'the hat!' I'm delighted, flattered and touched by HRH Princess Beatrice's decision to donate the hat to charity," said designer Treacy. "I hope that people all over the world will be generous and that this hat will benefit many. 'A hat is a symbol of positivity.' "

Beatrice's mother, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York and ex-wife of Queen Elizabeth II's son Prince Andrew, also made the announcement on Wednesday's Oprah Winfrey show.

The heinous headpiece is, of course, preowned. But shipping is free (probably because the flesh-toned beast is capable of sprouting wings and flying to its new owner) and will arrive within 10 days after the buyer's payment clears.

But buyers, beware: "No returns accepted." Drat. There's also no word on whether the atrocious eyesore will give the wearer mystical powers of a bovine nature.

Bidders who really want the cockamamie concoction, er, festive fascinator, must e-mail the seller in order to be placed on a pre-approved list. Bidders have only until May 22 before it's going, going, gone.

Would you buy this hat? Would you even want this hat if it were free? Let us know in comments, which as of today we are handling with a little help from Facebook. Just click on the gray talk-bubble button at the top right of this post to get started.